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Alias John Law

  • 1935
  • Approved
  • 59m
IMDb RATING
5.9/10
123
YOUR RATING
Alias John Law (1935)
DramaWestern

John Clark (Bob Steele) and his deaf pal, Bootch Collum (Buck Connors), are trailed by U. S. Marshal Lamar Bly (Jack Rockwell), who thinks they are part of The Kootney Kid's (Earl Dwire) gan... Read allJohn Clark (Bob Steele) and his deaf pal, Bootch Collum (Buck Connors), are trailed by U. S. Marshal Lamar Bly (Jack Rockwell), who thinks they are part of The Kootney Kid's (Earl Dwire) gang, which had just held up the stage coach. But the gang attacks the pair, and Bly joins th... Read allJohn Clark (Bob Steele) and his deaf pal, Bootch Collum (Buck Connors), are trailed by U. S. Marshal Lamar Bly (Jack Rockwell), who thinks they are part of The Kootney Kid's (Earl Dwire) gang, which had just held up the stage coach. But the gang attacks the pair, and Bly joins them in the gunfight. Bly is wounded and is taken to a Mexican's camp to recover. He gives J... Read all

  • Director
    • Robert N. Bradbury
  • Writers
    • Forbes Parkhill
    • Robert N. Bradbury
  • Stars
    • Bob Steele
    • Roberta Gale
    • Buck Connors
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.9/10
    123
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Robert N. Bradbury
    • Writers
      • Forbes Parkhill
      • Robert N. Bradbury
    • Stars
      • Bob Steele
      • Roberta Gale
      • Buck Connors
    • 7User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos6

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    Top cast17

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    Bob Steele
    Bob Steele
    • Everett Tarkington John Clark
    Roberta Gale
    Roberta Gale
    • JoAnne Vallon
    Buck Connors
    Buck Connors
    • Bootch Collum
    • (as Buck Conners)
    Earl Dwire
    Earl Dwire
    • The Kootney Kid
    Robert McKenzie
    Robert McKenzie
    • Judge
    • (as Bob McKenzie)
    Steve Clark
    Steve Clark
    • Simi - Henchman
    Jack Rockwell
    Jack Rockwell
    • Marshal Lamar Blyth
    Roger Williams
    Roger Williams
    • Sheriff
    John Cowell
    • Wagner - Attorney
    • (as Jack Cowell)
    Barney Beasley
    Barney Beasley
    • Rico - Henchman
    • (uncredited)
    Ed Cassidy
    Ed Cassidy
    • Sheriff's Deputy
    • (uncredited)
    Clyde McClary
    • Courtroom Spectator
    • (uncredited)
    Perry Murdock
    • Informant
    • (uncredited)
    Horace Murphy
    Horace Murphy
    • Courtroom Spectator
    • (uncredited)
    James Sheridan
    James Sheridan
    • Courtroom Spectator
    • (uncredited)
    Forrest Taylor
    Forrest Taylor
    • Oil Company Attorney
    • (uncredited)
    Wally West
    Wally West
    • Sheriff's Deputy
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Robert N. Bradbury
    • Writers
      • Forbes Parkhill
      • Robert N. Bradbury
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews7

    5.9123
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    Featured reviews

    9joebridge

    "Dadburn stink lizard!"

    This has to be one of the more amusing and highly entertaining westerns that I have seen in some time.

    The plot is simple enough. A villain (The Kootney Kid...hahaha) is a mail-robber who finds a letter relative to identification of the rightful heir - Everett Tarkington Clark (who is Bob Steele, known by friends as John) of his mother's property. The Kootney Kid wants it because of a potential oil deal so he sets about to convince the law that he's really Everett and that Everett (Steele) is HIM.

    I guess that it's a good thing that there are driver's licenses and other forms of identification these days, including actual records, which really helps, hahaha. I'm almost sure that there were records and REAL identification methods in the era this movie was set in, but it certainly doesn't seem that way watching it.

    The judge is a laugh riot, almost as amusing as Buck Conners as Bootch Collum (Bootch? Kootney Kid? Fun names in this movie as well).

    Almost the entire second half of this movie is filled with tongue-twisters, or at least the actors speak their lines as if they were tongue-twisters. You'd have to hear all the actors speak their lines to believe they ever even got through this at all.

    Actually, there does seem to be one scene involving the judge where an off-camera voice seems to be holding back a loud burst of laughs and it literally sounds like they are hurting themselves trying to hold back the outburst. It seems that way, but still, there's no edit at the point that I could detect.

    Very entertaining and easily worth several views.

    I should strongly point out (perhaps even warn) - and it seems a bit strange - that Bob Steele in this looks EXACTLY like a silent film star ready to lick the rest of a pie from his face at a sped-up pace. I don't know why, but that's all I could think of during the courtroom scenes. It does subtract just a little from the western atmosphere, but perhaps it couldn't be helped. Perhaps it was just a combination of the expressions, haircut, and makeup(?)

    Earl Dwire (The Kootney Kid, hehe) is also quite entertaining, and even very convincing in his villainous sincerity throughout, unlike the more cardboard characters in similar movies.

    I also feel that all of the actors involved in this really are enjoying their roles and trying their best, unlike many other movies.

    9/10
    3arfdawg-1

    Slow and boring

    I found this movie rather sow and boring. The plot:

    John Clark (Bob Steele) and his deaf pal, Bootch Collum (Buck Connors), are trailed by U. S. Marshal Lamar Bly (Jack Rockwell), who thinks they are part of The Kootney Kid's (Earl Dwire) gang, which had just held up the stage coach.

    But the gang attacks the pair, and Bly joins them in the gunfight.

    Bly is wounded and is taken to a Mexican's camp to recover. He gives John his badge and authorizes him to take up the hunt.

    The Kid, unknown to John by sight, is on a ranch which he hopes to gain legal possession of as it has oil.

    It is really John's by right, which he does not know until informed by his sweetheart, Joan Vallon (Roberta Gale.)

    The Kid has taken a letter from the stage holdup which he is using to establish his identity as the rightful owner named Everett Tarkington Clark, John's real name.

    John is in the courtroom when the Kid makes his claim, but his protest is overruled and he is arrested on suspicion of having killed Marshal Bly.
    5Spuzzlightyear

    Read my lips!

    Somewhat amusing Bob Steele vehicle here. First off, Bob Steele WAS one of the more handsomer cowboy actors out there, and I actually look forward to his movies. Here he plays a cowboy off to see his Mom after many a year separation. Unfortunately, when he gets into town, he finds out that dear old Mom has passed on, and that someone is trying to hustle his Mom's land to his own uses. With the help of a deaf Sidekick (!!) Steele tries to prove his case in front of a land claims court (wow, exciting.. I'm sure the judge knew this too, since he's bellowing his lines to make it more interesting). The land claims court disagrees, and tries to arrest the two for impersonating a sheriff (don't ask). So Steele has to Take The Law Into His Own Hands! Entertaining for the fact that Steele makes it entertaining, I did like the amusing performance of Buck Conners as his sidekick as well.
    3planktonrules

    I''d have to agree with arfdawg-1 about this one.

    The reviewer arfdawg-1 described this Bob Steele film as 'slow and boring'. Well, after seeing "Alias John Law", I'd certainly have to agree. While I often have enjoyed Steele's film, this one is amazingly low energy and not much fun to watch.

    The film begins with some evil folks trying to shoot John (Steele) and Booch. Why, they don't know. However, the sheriff happens along at the same time and helps to drive away the baddies, but he's seriously injured in the process. John knows the sheriff and assumes his identity (???). His reasoning is that when he catches the baddies, he'll give the reward money to the sheriff. Why not just catch the guy and give the money to him after--this is a dumb plot device that not surprisingly comes back to haunt John. And, through the course of the film, it turns out that the leader of this gang is none other than the man that is out to steal John's inheritance--a very common theme in old B-westerns. With the help of his deaf friend*, the pair set out to restore niceness to the west.

    There are many problems with the film in addition to its dullness. The plot is often riddled with clichés and holes. For example, twice the evil Kootney Kid is confronted by his underlings and so you KNOW that Kootney will almost immediately murder them! The worst was when one said '...you're not going to turn me over to the sheriff...if you do, I'll spill everything...'--and you KNEW what was coming next!! Additionally, while I like the idea of a deaf sidekick (since my own daughter is deaf), the way they handled it showed that they did no research. NO ONE is that good at reading lips. And, as a man who's been deaf all his life, his speech was way too good--both with annunciation and volume to his speaking voice.

    The bottom line is that they made at least 237529351341 low budget westerns in the 1930s--surely you can find one better and more interesting than this one.
    8boblipton

    B Western Done Right

    Orphaned Bob Steele and sidekick Buck Connors head back home, to discover his mother is dead, and that Earl Dwire - who he is trailing, although he doesn't know it, for wounded Marshall Jack Rockwell - is trying to grab his mother's ranch, which has oil.

    You may think this movie doesn't star Steele, but Tim McCoy. McCoy starred in THE REVENGE RIDER the same year; it also was known as ALIAS JOHN LAW. In any case, Dwire winds up with ranch and heading off to kill Rockwell, while Steele and Connors are to be thrown into jail... and that's when Steele busts loose.

    It's a handsome movie under the direction of Steele's father, Robert Bradbury. The pacing is excellent. Editor Earl Luby doesn't waste time with extended horseback scenes, nor overlong entrances and exits. Instead, he uses short takes and a rising rate of cuts to build excitement, and cameraman William Nobles shows us the wind in the trees and framed compositions. The story doesn't do anything new, but between Steele's athleticism, and everyone behind the camera doing their jobs well, it's a very well made B western

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      This film received its earliest documented telecasts in Los Angeles Monday 27 June 1949 on KNBH (Channel 4), in Cincinnati Saturday 26 November 1949 on WLW-T (Channel 4), and in New York City Sunday 5 February 1950 on the DuMont Television Network's WABD (Channel 5).
    • Connections
      Edited into West of the Brazos (1950)

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • November 5, 1935 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Production company
      • Supreme Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      59 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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